Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando Theme Parks — Hotel in Dr. Phillips

We had a large group check into several rooms on a Wednesday for a sporting event. The location was ideal and the rooms were clean. Unfortunately, the bad outweighed the good by a large amount. When we arrived, there was a large group in the breakfast area causing a disturbance. They had been given blankets and sheets by staff and it turned out they were squatting there. During the social time on Wednesday, they were taking advantage of the free beer and wine. Later that night, they were smoking pot out on the basketball court and in the back of the hotel parking lot. Not to mention, they were sleeping in the lobby. One members of our group called down to the desk and reported them several times. He was instructed by staff to please not call the police. The second day, we awoke to them still sleeping in the lobby and enjoying a free breakfast that the rest of us had paid for as part of paying for an actual room at the hotel. Again that evening, our girls (who were fully supervised) at the pool let us know they smelled something funny. The same group was now smoking pot again at the basketball court and behind some buses beside the pool. We AGAIN alerted the front desk and was told no management was on duty and again asked to not call the police. When our girls left the pool and came inside, they were followed by members of this group and taunted. This went to the point we could no longer let our girls go anywhere alone as they were followed and called names. This scared them. It was reported AGAIN and this time our parents demanded the hotel take care of this situation as members of this other group were getting confronted rational in the lobby with our young teenage girls and our parents. We were told the issue would be resolved that night, however they continued to go and smoke pot around the hotel. The issue was not resolved. The third night when we arrived back from dinner, this group was in a loud, verbal attack amongst themselves in the front of the hotel. We could not even take our families in that way fearing for their safety. Several of the adults in our group rushed our girls upstairs and several went to the front desk. At this point the man at the front desk said he had called the police as the argument was escalating and the rest of their group had resumed camping out in the breakfast area. The front desk worker was worried and assured us the general manager would be there the next morning for us to speak to and handle the situation. One of our parents proceeded to also contact Orange County Sheriffs office and they went patrols over. As patrols arrived, they arrested one member of the group for stealing from the CVS nextt to the hotel. The officers also said there are groups that do this in the area and all managers and hotel workers are aware. They say they are dropped off by an Uber a couple days before they have a reservation and then camp out or squat in the lobbies and then cancel their reservations and move on to a different hotel. If the hotels are aware of this, why do they continue to allow them to squat in such a family filled area and cause disturbances and dangerous situations? Why were we told to not call the police? Maybe because the hotel did not want them to show up in front, but instead decided to allow them to stay for free, eat and rink for free, harasses paying clients, and young children. By the way, no manager ever showed up and when we inquired, we were given the run around and the front desk clerk became defensive and rude. So no management seems to be running the hotel at any point, desk clerks, day and night shift allow dangerous squatters to hang out and smoke pot in all areas of the hotel. Also, when the Sheriffs office searched the hotel, they found this groups belongings stashed at the end of a hallway, not even in a room. Unbelievable! So disappointed with the whole situation. Please be very careful booking your family to stay here as the guests security is NOT this hotels...

We just returned from a 10 night stay at the Homewood Suites Orlando Theme Parks in a 2 bedroom suite in August 2022.  There are a few Homewood Suites in the Orlando area.  This is the Homewood Suites on Westwood Boulevard.  Please be aware that we are not employed by Hilton and were not requested or compensated for this review.  Overall, we had a great experience and would recommend it when visiting any of the local theme parks.

Location: We are a family of 5 and went to Disney World during our stay.  This hotel is about a 15 minute drive to the Disney Parks.  We only visited Disney World but for reference it is right down the block the street from Seaworld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica.  It is also about a 10-15 minute drive to Universal.  CVS is within walking distance.  Less than 10 minutes away is a Super Walmart on Turkey Lake Road.  Other fast food and stores near the hotel include Moe's, Walgreens, pizzerias and Taco Bell.  We had a rental car. The drive to Disney World was easy and we never were in traffic.  The hotel does offer shuttle service to some local theme parks but since we had a rental car we do not know the details.  Contact the front desk for shuttle pricing and times.   The hotel is a good location right off I-4.

Service: We booked directly through Hilton and had no issues at check in.  During our stay the hotel was offering room cleaning every 5th day.  We did not want  housekeeping in our room so instead twice during our stay we contacted the front desk to exchange towels.  The first time we requested towels they never arrived and we had to follow up.  The second time we were told that 6pm was too late to be requesting new towels and they reluctantly agreed.  I wish I would have gotten this gentleman's name because guests are supposed to receive towels at any time.  Besides that, we had very limited interaction with the staff.

Our room: We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite.  Photos are when we were checking out.  One room had two queen beds.  The other room had 1 King bed.  The suite had 2 bathrooms: one had a shower/tub combo and the other had a shower. Both bathrooms had an exhaust system.  The Kitchen area had a full size fridge, microwave, dishwasher and small sink.  The living room had a small kitchen table with 2 chairs, a sofa bed (which we did not sleep on).  The beds were comfortable in between plush and firm.  The furniture was in good shape.  Every room is going to have some cosmetic issues.  Nothing huge here.  Room was pretty clean at check in except the tile floor in the kitchen could use a better cleaning.  The rooms each had their own AC controls and ceiling fans.  We had no issues with keeping the temperature as we wanted it.

Cleanliness: See above: our room was pretty clean.  No major issues.

Pool area: Nice sized pool with a spray feature for kids.  There is a kids end and a deep end.  There were towels by the pool but they were very small.  There is also a basketball hoop.  There is a firepit that goes on by itself around 6pm.  We didn't use it but if you wanted to you could bring marshmallows and skewers to roast in the evening.

Lobby: Good condition and nice looking.  There were computers.  You can also find ice makers on the main floor and other floors.There is also a water bottle fill system on the main floor.  There are 2 elevators and we never had to wait long. Breakfast: Good selection except missing any kind of pastry/muffin.  I hope they consider adding morning danishes or muffins.  During our stay you could find every day: scrambled eggs, bread, bagels, plain oatmeal, yogurt, apples, oranges, bananas, milk, orange juice, coffee, make your own mickey waffles.  Rotating on some days: french toast sticks, pre-made mini omelettes, turkey sausage, pork sausage, potato wedges, eggs with vegetables, hard boiled eggs.  We ate at breakfast every morning and never had any issues.

Laundry: We used the washing machine/dryers -$2.00 in quarters. We had...

I’d rate this hotel higher than 5 stars if I could! We stayed 5 days / 4 nights over the Thanksgiving holiday. We were so lucky to have stayed at this hotel. We booked last minute because we had to cancel our reservation with the other hotel we booked (4 months in advance, literally right next door--you can see my review on that hotel too).

My family was spending the Thanksgiving holiday down the street at a no dogs allowed property, so we needed to find a place that could accommodate our 2 large dogs. This extended stay hotel was perfect. We had a 1-bedroom suite (plenty of space) and the hotel’s staff were AMAZING.

In fact, with the staff’s permission, my entire family—11 adults, 9 children (ages 1-6), and 2 large dogs—held Thanksgiving dinner in the breakfast area of the hotel! My husband and I were going to split our time with my family and the dogs, but there was no need with the ability to have the entire family together. I cannot say enough amazing things about this hotel’s whole team!

In terms of the stay itself, it was very pleasant. As I mentioned, the hotel’s staff are top notch. From the front desk, to housekeeping, to food service—Everyone was incredibly customer service oriented and did their jobs really well. The room was spacious and clean. We spent some down time every day in the room with the dogs. It was also convenient to have a full size refrigerator for leftovers in our unit. Free self-serve breakfast is included with your stay, and it was notably a different array of choices each morning with both hot and cold options. They have Mickey Mouse shaped waffle makers, which were a huge hit every morning. As an extended stay, they also have an afternoon reception on Wednesdays where they have beer and wine plus various snacks available—That was a really nice and unexpected perk.

The hotel was quiet, even though it was the number one travel holiday of the year—and you could tell the hotel was fully booked during peak breakfast hours. The staff said that they’re typically quiet after breakfast and throughout the day because people are out at the nearby theme parks. This hotel is conveniently located down the street from Sea World and Discovery Cove, and it’s a short 10-15 min drive to other attractions like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. There is a 24-hour CVS plus a 7 Eleven right behind the hotel. Bonefish Grill is between the CVS and 7 Eleven and has an outdoor dog-friendly patio, if you’re traveling with dogs. We didn’t use the hotel amenities during our stay but there is a gym/fitness center and coin-operated laundry facility as well as outdoor pool, grills, and small basketball area.

For folks traveling with dogs, this is a very dog-friendly hotel. We had our 2 large dogs with us and occasionally saw other guests with dogs. The hallways, elevators, and stairwell were all spacious and we had no issues with our 2 Shepherds. The property has multiple outdoor areas where the dogs can go potty and they even have poop bag dispensers around the property. With or without dogs, this was a really great stay and definitely a go-to if we need to be in...